Stabilized nitrated starch.



,IINITE s'rarns rxrnar ion FLETCHER B. HOLMES, OF WOO'DBURY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON,

JERSEY.

DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF NEW Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1908.

Application 'filed May 7. 1907- Serial No. 372.417.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known-that I, FLETCHER B. HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodbury, county of "Gloucester, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stabilized Nitrated Starch, of which the following is a full. clear,

and exact description.

The object of. my invention is to produce stable nitrated starch.

Nit-rated starch may be used as an explosive itself, or preferably'may be used asa component part of an explosive, such as where it is mixed with sodium nitrate, potas sium nitrate, or some other oxygen carrier, with or without theaddition of other ingredients. The difficulty with nitrated starch is that it is very unstable, being liable to de composition. When such nitrated starch decomposes, which it is liable to do at ordinary temperatures, it becomes liable to spontane- I ous combustion.

I have discovered that I can produce a stable nitrated starch by mixing with nitrated starch an ammonium salt of an oxygen acid of arsenic. The mixing, may be in any manner to produce a good mixture. They may be mixed wet .or'dry and in any Preferably, I mix the two in a finely divided. powdered condition in a bowl provided with stirrersor paddles. I prefer to use an arsenate of ammonia. As

an example of the carrying out of my method and the production of a stable nitrated starch thereby, the following is an example. of the manner in which the same may be car ried out and the manner in which I have carried it out- With nitrated starch produced in the ordinary manner, I mix three percent.

of ammonium arsenate (NI'I,),,ASO,..

The above is an example, and I do not intend to limit myself to this amount as the amount may be increased above or decreased 1.. A stableexplosive consisting of nitrated starch mixed with an ammonium salt of an oxygen acid of arsenic, the latter being in such proportion as tostabilize the nitrated starch.

2. A stable explosive consisting of nitrated starch mixed with three per cent. of an am.- monium salt of an oxygen acid of arsenic.

3. v A stable explosive consisting of nitrated starch mixed with an arsenate of ammonia, the latter being in such proportion as to stabilize the nitrated starch.

4. Astable explosive consisting of nitrated starch mixed withthree per cent. of an arse nate of ammonia.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at WVoodbury, N. J on this 29th day of April, 1907.

FLETCHER B. HOLMES.

\Vitnesses J. FRANK WILSON, Jr., GEORGE E. PIERsON; 

